Bypaths In Dixie Part 16

"Long 'bout dis time, de church fixin' ter have er sociable. Dey gwine have speakin' pieces, an' singin' jes' like fokes has. John Mockin'bird, he de haid man. 'Cose John wus lovin' Lilly, an' 'cose he want Lilly ter sing er chune er do sump'in, but Lilly say she bleege ter him fur axin'

her, but de Lawd nuv'r make her ter sing like Laura Nightingale, an'

'tain' no use er her tryin' ter do hit. I tell yer Lilly had er heap er sense--an' er heap er beaux, too; dar wus John Mockin'bird, an' Tom Jay Bird, an' Bob White, an' mo' b'sides. But she ain' keer nuthin' fur none uv 'em 'cep'in' John."

"Mammy, did Lilly Dove know Tom Jay Bird went to the Bad Place every Friday night?" Willis went over and stood by the table.

"Cose she heah tell erbout hit, 'caze An' Polly Parrit done spen' de day wid her on de subjec', but Lilly, she sot right still tell An' Polly git th'u busin' him, an' callin' him low down gambl'r--den Lilly she up an'

ax, 'An' Polly does you recoleck whin you wus shet up in dat cage up at Mist'r Man's house?' An' Polly say she nuv'r is ter fergit hit. Lilly say, 'Does yer 'memb'r whin Tom Jay ust'r fotch yer all dem fat wurms?' An'

Polly say she know Tom's er good feller, but she jes' tellin' whut _fokes sez_.

"Yas, suh, Tom wus er good feller, but we got ter git back ter de sociable, er dem fokes git ti'ed er waitin'."

Willis's foot accidentally upset the quilt basket. "Take yer foot out'n Mammy's bask't, an' g'long back an' look at de pictur's wid Ma'y Van."

"No, I won't--I'm tired sitting down on the floor."

"Dat's jes' de way Tishy Peafowel talk whin her ma beg her ter stay at home wid dem loose straggly feath'rs er he'rn, but Tishy say, 'No, I won't,' jes' like you talks ter me sometimes. Jes' den one her purty feath'rs drap out."

"Well, Mammy, I do want to stand up," he added apologetically, "and we've looked at all the pictures in that book."

She found another book of birds which she opened on the table.

"Hyah, stan' up an' look at dese,--dar's Tishy de ve'y fus' one."

Mary Van was soon beside him:

"Ain't Tishy pretty, Mammy Phyllis?" she said.

"She sho' wus sumthin' ter look at 'fo' Big Eye Buzzard come erlong. An'

Tishy wus er good gal, too, but she nuv'r had nuf 'ligion ter stan'

trubble."

"Did her mama let her go down town?"

"Tishy done got so mean, her ma can' do nuthin' wid her. She tell her ma she gwine ter see how John Mockin'bird gittin' 'long wid de sociable." She added with a confidential air: "Tishy want ter act in de sociable, an' she wanter give John er chanct ter ax her.

"Oh, I tell yer John have er heap er trubble wid de diffunt kine er fokes ov'r dat sociable. Dar wus de Sparrer fambly dat yer can' keep out no way yer fixes. .h.i.t, dey'll eb'n git ter parties whar n.o.body don't want 'em an'

den act like dey wus de bigges' fokes ax'd."

"How, Mammy?" Mary Van thought of her own birthday party where she had excluded Jim Weed.

"Oh, dey does like Miss Bizzy Sparrer done Lilly Dove whin she give er party one time. Miss Bizzy meet Lilly in de poplar tree an' say:

"'I heah yer 'bout ter give er party, Miss Lilly, an' I jes' wanter ax yer ef we got enything yer kin use?'

"Lilly, she thank her an' tu'n de subjec', but Bizzy she git back on ter hit ergin an' say:

"'Ain't dey sumpin' I kin do? Lemme hope yer.'

"Lilly say she doan need n.o.body ter do nuthin', but she kin come ter de party ef she's er mine ter.

"An' Bizzy come, too, an' whut's mo', her bruth'r hafter come ter bring her, an' whut's mo'en dat, her sist'r can't stay at home by herse'f. Yas, Lawd, an' 'fo' enybody know how dey got dar, de place wus right full er Sparrers."

"Mammy, did John ask Tishy to act in the sociable?" began Willis.

"I'm gwine tell yer now 'bout whin she start ter see John, she come up wid An' Polly. She ax An' Polly ef she know wharbouts John is. An' Polly say, John gone clean ov'r ter de Peaks er Otter ter git some flow'rs fer Lilly ter w'ar ter de sociable.

"Tishy say, 'Yas, I speck Lilly Dove gwine be tryin' ter do all de singin'

an' de speakin', too.'

"An' Polly say, "Cose John gwine sing wid her ter keep fokes fum laffin'.' Tishy git so mad 'caze she can't see John dat she flounce herse'f roun' right in An' Polly's face an' strut herse'f home,--an' her purty feath'rs drap out all 'long de road. Dat night at de sociable, Lilly, she come wid John, an' I tell yer, man, she look purty, too, wid dem gran' flow'rs John fotch her. John he so proud he mos' bustin'. He take an' strut all roun' wid Lilly hangin' on his arm, an' all de fokes talkin' 'bout how fine dey looks. Bimeby, hyah come Tishy wid Jack Sparrer an--"

"Wasn't Jack Sparrow too little for Tishy Peafowel?" appealed Mary Van.

"'Cose he wus, but yer see Tishy done loss her chusin', an' she got ter take whut she kin git.--Jack Sparrer doan wanter go wid her neeth'r, but yer see Tishy wus so fus' cla.s.s dat Jack ax her, so he kin mix wid de hifalutin' fokes. Dem sparrers er sight, I tell yer," she mused.

"Go on, Mammy," Willis shook the book.

"Well, whin Lilly see Tishy look so pitiful long side er Jack Sparrer, she go right straight an' walk 'long side er her, 'caze ev'ybody laffin' at Tishy.

"Lilly ain' talk ter Tishy long, 'fo' she fine out Tishy want ter sing er chune. Lilly she go an' tell John:

"'Yer mus' ax Tishy ter sing.'

"John say, 'I'm too bizzy ter fool wid Tishy.'

"Lilly coo sof' an' ax', 'Please, John.'

"John say, 'All right.'

"Oh, I tell yer, John sing ev'rybody's chune wid 'em. He so happy he can'

keep his mouf shet. Jes' den he 'nounce dat Miss Tishy Peafowel gwine sing. Ev'rybody feel like shettin' der eyes whin dat straggly fe'th'r Tishy walk up ter de pianny. She 'nounce, she do:

"'I ain' sot er chune sense I got well, but ef youall's bleege ter hyah me, I'll do m' bes'.'

"Mussy gracious! de fokes hatt'r hole on ter der ye'rs,--"

"Why, Mammy?"

At that moment, the peafowl in Mary Van's yard uttered a piercing screech.

"Dat's de rees'n," she answered. "Peafowel's bin singin' jes' dat erway sense den. Whoopee, whin Tishy see fokes stoppin' up der ye'rs, she fling herse'f 'roun' an' grab John Mockin'bird by de arm an' walk clean out'n de meetin' house."

"Was her feath'rs dropping out, too?" reminded Mary Van.

"Dat dey wus, she scatter 'em ev'ywhar she go. Whin she git John out in de dark, she flounce 'roun' an' say: 'You ain' sich er big sumbody, John Mockin'bird! Lilly Dove say she jes' 'spise you an' yo' ugly ole flow'rs--dat she wush ter de Lawd she had er nice gent'mun like Mist'r Jack Sparrer ter car'y her home ternight. She say she jes' plum sick er you.' John look at Tishy, tryin' ter make out whut she say, den he sorter puff out his chist an' strut back in de meetin'."

"Didn't he know Tishy was mean an bad?" asked Willis.

"How he gwine know, son? Tishy wus mouty fus' cla.s.s 'fo' Big Eye come eroun'. Howsomev'r, whin him an' Tishy go back in de meetin' house, Tishy had done los' ev'y one er her purty feath'rs, an' she wusn't nuthin' but er ugly ole brown Peahen!--an' she bin ugly ev'r sense, 'caze she ain'